Getting the Call and a Giveaway with Scott Wilson

The first book I wrote was a hot garbage fire. Being the inexperienced writer that I was, of course I thought it was amazing.

When I sent out the manuscript to agents, I expected daisies and fireworks and sparkling songs of praise. Instead, I got silence. The only replies were form rejections, except for one agent whose wise words I will never forget: "200,000 words is way too long for a debut young adult novel."

Deterred but not defeated, I wrote another book. And then another. Both of them drummed up the same level of tumbleweed interest, so I started going to local writing groups in Boston and New Hampshire. I'd never had my writing critiqued by anyone except my wife and my mom before then, which looking back was a big part of the problem. Having my work sliced open and gutted was about as painful as if it'd happened to my own stomach, but absolutely necessary and a learning experience like no other.

With new determination, I wrote another book. And then another. Still more silence accompanied by the occasional loud rejection—loud because of my groans and grumbles of frustration that my wife had to put up with. 

I started a job writing articles online, translating Japanese entertainment news for a Western audience. I also started running one of the writing groups I'd attended as a member, with writers now looking to me for feedback and guidance even though I was in the same boat as them: a cracked, ceramic bathtub lodged in a giant wad of river muck.

It was at that point I'd finally had enough. The thought of pouring the next months of my life into a book that would likely end up with a resounding "meh" was too depressing to bear. So instead, I reverse-engineered the process. Rather than writing a book first and then sending it out to agents, I tried the opposite: create an irresistible query letter and synopsis first, then write the book to live up to it.

Doing things this way, I learned a lot. After my first query draft, I immediately saw there were no stakes in my story, so I threw some in. (Let's put the artificial moon in the sky on an impact course toward Earth!) It was also lacking some exciting details, so I threw some in too. (Hey, let's slap a giant glowing red X on that artificial moon while we're at it!) And best of all, I didn't even have to worry about editing my manuscript, because there was no manuscript yet.

I passed my query and synopsis around to anyone unfortunate enough to look in my direction. With their advice and newfound wind in my bathtub-boat sails, I wrote the opening chapter to the book. Then I wrote it again. And again. And again. Sometimes the sixth time is the charm!

It was during that time I moved to Japan with my wife, and I wrote the book for the next months in the middle of the night, still working American hours for my online job. By the time October rolled around, I was two chapters away from finishing the first draft.

But that was also when I heard about a contest online: Nightmare on Query Street. Tons of agents would be taking a look at queries/synopses hand-picked by Michelle Hauck and others, and it was open to anyone to submit.

Even though I was two chapters from the end, I figured I might as well try my luck, thinking I wouldn't make it past the first round anyway. Maybe, if I was lucky, I'd get some feedback on just my query and synopsis. 

But then Michelle chose Metl, my book, as one of the fifteen to make her cut. I couldn't believe it. Someone finally acknowledged my work… and they weren't even related to me!

Four agents requested to see more. Four. That was four-times-infinity more agents than had ever requested to see my manuscript before.

Three of the agents eventually decided to pass, but one of them, Mark Gottlieb, offered representation. I told him I needed some time to finish the last two chapters, which he was fine with. I'd suddenly gone from slouching out the last bit of the manuscript to typing away at breakneck pace for a deadline. And I loved it.

For the six years leading up to that moment, I'd always seen getting an agent as the endgame. The point when I could finally relax. But again, my inexperience showed. That was only the beginning. Then came sending out the manuscript to editors, reviewing offers, checking over contracts, the editing process, suddenly having a new deadline for the sequel dropped into my lap. And I still have a lot more to learn.

I don't want to say the same thing that everyone says: "never give up and follow your dreams." Yeah, persevering and doing the work is important, but I think what's even more important is not being afraid of trying new strategies. If your query letters suck, then start your next book by writing the query letter first. If a contest comes around and you're not even done with your manuscript, try entering anyway and see what happens.

Worst comes to worst, you'll still be the at the same place you are now, but with a bit more knowledge. And best comes to best, maybe your own bathtub boat may finally get dislodged from the river gunk.

Now onto the raging rapids and piranhas!

You can check out Metl: The ANGEL Weapon here on Amazon. 

About the book: 

When technology is outlawed, the future looks a lot like the past.

Thirteen-year-old Caden Aire spends his days working in the fields and his nights sleeping in a horse stable, all under the watch of Metl -- Earth's mysterious and artificial second moon, a looming relic of humanity's lost era.

But Caden's simple life changes when one night, a fiery red X suddenly appears on Metl's surface, and the same red Xs start glowing on his palms.

Now Caden must find the only person who knows what's happening to him, but he doesn't have much time. Metl has started on an impact course with Earth, and to stop it, Caden will have to face both the unsettling truth about his world ... and about himself.


Giveaway:  Comment below with your favorite type of technology you would miss most if technology was outlawed. Random winner will receive an ebook copy of Metl. 

Scott Wilson works as a translator and editor for the Japanese news-entertainment website SoraNews24. He runs ScottWritesStuff, a creative writing livestream on Twitch, and in his free time can be found playing video games and Magic: The Gathering with friends. Metl: The ANGEL Weapon is his first novel. He lives in the Japanese countryside with his wife.

Getting the Call with Rick Wheeler

Everyone's journey is different. I hope this one that started with Query Kombat 2016 will provide you with a dose of inspiration on a dark winter day. 

In February 2016, I watched a television show called My Strange Inheritance, where a man inherited letters between his deceased uncle’s mother and JFK. After her son, a navy seaman under JFK’s command during WWII, died during the attack on their PT boat, then Lieutenant John Kennedy wrote a letter of condolences. The woman wrote back and the two corresponded even after JFK became President of the United States. JFK helped the woman receive her Social Security payments at one point. I thought this would make a great novel, but I wrote middle grade fiction so I needed to alter the concept. It inspired me to write it from the prospective of a child whose father died in the war. The first draft was finished in two weeks and then I revised it to what I thought was query ready (boy was I wrong).  

In May 2016, I entered my manuscript into Query Kombat and was thrilled when my manuscript appeared as a selected entry into the contest on May 26, 2016. I was on Laura’s team. In the first round, my query and first 250 words was pitted against an entry that dripped with voice. I lost the first round in a landslide. That was the end. So I thought.

A few days later, while out to lunch during my day job, I received an email from Laura asking if I would like to be a host save because one of her entries received an offer. I jumped at the chance. It meant I would be included in the agent round, but I would not be competing in any further rounds. The benefit of being the host save is that the agent requests would be available for me to see and respond to while the other rounds were still ongoing. I was blown away to receive 11 requests from Query Kombat, one of the requests being from Caitlen from LKG. That was it. I would surely get at least one agent offer from one of the 11 requests. So I thought. I was so wrong.

Over time, my requests came back as rejections. I entered my manuscript into Pitch Wars 2016, and was not picked, but two great things came out of it. First, one of the mentors, I knew from a Facebook group, agreed to be an unofficial mentor to me. Secondly, the mentor and her partner suggested that two other writers and I explore becoming critique partners. The three of us connected by email and hit it off. I was so lucky to gain two critique partners who wrote such beautiful prose; especially since my writing was more like cave drawings than their poetry. After working with the Pitch Wars mentor and my critique partners, I was ready to query again. I received a fair amount of full requests from agents, but they all passed. One agent who passed took the time to give me valuable feedback. I revised again, taking my manuscript from 34,000 words to over 50,000 words, adding prose chapters to my epistolary novel.

I was ready to query again. Still I received more full requests, which ended in rejections but I did receive an R&R from an agent. I revised again and sent it back. She liked the changes but I missed the mark so she gave me further feedback, which led me to revise yet again.

On October 31, 2017, I decided to query Lauren Galit from LKG Agency. Even though Caitlen from LKG Agency requested and passed on my manuscript from Query Kombat, I reasoned it was practically a completely different manuscript (which it was) and there was nothing saying they were a one and done agency—that you cannot query another agent from the same agency after a pass.

I watched the data explorer on Query Tracker for Lauren and noticed that she responded quickly when she requested more of a manuscript. A few queries that were sent after mine received full requests after just one day while the date of my query slipped further and further away. That was it; it had to be a pass. So I thought.

On November 29, 2017, Lauren requested the full manuscript, which I sent the same day. On December 14, 2017, I received an email from Lauren requesting a telephone call. I was thrilled. After all this time, this was it. So I thought.

On December 15, 2017, after a night with almost no sleep due to nerves, I took a call from Lauren. She said Caitlyn remembered my manuscript from when I submitted it during Query Kombat and noticed how much different it was. Lauren was such a pleasant person and had such great things to say about my manuscript but also pointed out its flaws. I agreed with all the changes that Lauren suggested. Her comments and advice were well thought out and resonated with me, so when she asked for an R&R for one chapter to see how I handled the revision, I jumped on the opportunity, hoping the R&R was not a slow no.

I worked over the weekend revising two chapters and writing a completely new scene that Lauren suggested. On December 18, 2017, I sent the revision to Lauren. On December 20, 2017, Lauren sent a second email saying she liked the revision and wanted to set up another call. This was it; it had to be an offer, right? Or so I thought. This time my thought was correct, because on December 21, 2017, I took my second call from Lauren and it was an offer of representation. Since it was close to the holidays, Lauren gave me two weeks to hear back from the three agents that still had my manuscript. On January 2, 2018, I emailed Lauren and accepted her offer.   

It was a long, slow journey,  in which I tried to give up on my manuscript several times, but due to encouragement from my critique partners and constructive feedback from rejecting agents at just the right time, I did not give up and have a terrific agent as a result. I could not have done it without Laura, Michelle, and Michael from Query Kombat who started the journey with me and for all the help from friends along the way.

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Rick Wheeler lives in Northern California in a multigenerational household. When he is not writing middle grade fiction, he works with at risk youth as a Deputy Probation Officer. He enjoys listening to classic rock, hanging out with his dog, and having tea parties with his granddaughters, not necessarily in that order. 

Find Rick on Twitter at @ESWheeler1992

Getting the Call with Ash Van Otterloo

My favorite type of success story--one that came from our contests! Let this bit of inspiration follow you into Pitchwars and the fall contests. Here's the story from Ash.

I put the finishing touches on my MG fantasy manuscript CATTYWAMPUS in late May of 2016, spent July-Sept in rounds of revisions with notes from my beta readers and critique partners. Right before I started my first round of queries, on a whim, I noticed a blog schedule for #NoQS and entered the story. Having entered contests a few times before, I knew it would be a fun experience and hoped to snag helpful feedback before I leapt into the query trenches.

When my name popped up on Mike’s team list, I promptly exploded with excitement. My second stroke of luck was being paired with the clever Kate Foster as my mentor, who I’d received a bit of constructive feedback from in a past contest with a shorter project. (A good reminder to us all to receive constructive criticism gracefully, even in rejection!) We polished my query and pages, and it got a significant amount of requests.

By the end of October, I found myself on the phone chatting with the incomparable Lauren Spieller. I’ll admit it: I had instant agent-crush. Besides being fun to chat with, she asked all the clarity-bringing questions about plot development, was enthusiastic and straightforward (swoon), and asked for an R&R, along with suggestions for sensitivity reads. Why, hello, sweaty palms. Obviously, I was eager to give it a whack.

I worked hard on revisions, found some amazing sensitivity readers, and resubmitted in March. Another R&R. And y’all. I am so grateful for last round of revisions, too, because that’s where I truly found my protagonists (and discovered an underground bunker of feelings to pour into the manuscript.) I re-submitted and got a phone call. THE phone call. (Dun, dun, dunnnnn!)

When I answered my cellphone, Lauren offered me representation with Triada Us. Only barely did I manage to refrain from shrieking directly into the receiver. As before, Lauren was supportive and excited about the story, and had great thoughts for final revision notes. After recovering from a round of omygodomygodomygod, I was eager to accept. I’d researched agencies and MG agents thoroughly, and this was indeed my dream representation. A couple of days later, I officially accepted the offer and went out with my family to celebrate with pizza.

My final thoughts: Writing can be lonely, sometimes. There are moments (months) when you have to be the one who believes in your work, even though part of you worries you might be wasting your time. And when the opportunity to make a helpful connection comes, even in the form of a constructive “no”, tackle it and suck every bit of wisdom from it. Learn, and be kind to yourself. And don’t give up.

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Ash Van Otterloo lives just outside of Chattanooga with her long time best friend and four wild forest-children. She's regarded fondly by her two cats, and, like a cat, she enjoys people who offer her good food regularly. Whether or not she's a witch is a topic for gossip among her neighbors. The ones, at least, that she's not yet turned into newts.

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Getting the Call with Magali Frechette

What better time to share a Query Kombat success story than before the final round? Publishing is a long game. You tend to hear about the overnight successes, which is one reason it's so important to celebrate the stories that take a bit longer to find their homes. Today, we're hearing from Magali A. Fréchette about her journey to publish MY SOUL TO GIVE - available today! Congratulations, Magali! I've loved this concept since I first read the query, years ago.

Hey!

I was a contestant in Query Kombat 2016, and although I made it into the first round, that’s as far as I went. However, I did end up getting great feedback on my query, and it helped me along the way for future queries. It even helped me fix part of the story I realized didn’t work through the query itself. Now, the story I entered for the contest isn’t the one that got published (although, I’m still querying that one!), but I did want to mention something here. The writing community on Twitter, these contests like Query Kombat, Nightmare on Query Street, Sun vs. Snow, and all the Twitter pitching contests did get me where I am today. I remember when I was feeling really low about not getting into one of these contests, Michelle (amongst many others) reached out, made sure I was feeling better, and offered all the help and the support she could. And that’s the greatest thing for a writer; a community. There are lots of people I want to thank for getting me here, and these contests, and their hosts are definitely among them, so thank you!

MY SOUL TO GIVE is an Adult paranormal mystery romance inspired by a dead tree the neighbourhood kids, my sister, and I didn’t like approaching (sounds weird put like that, I know, but I swear, the story doesn’t actually revolve around a tree!). From there, a story was born. I’d been querying my manuscript since I finished it back in 2014. It wasn’t my first story, though; it was actually my 19^th.

After many, many rejections, I was beginning to give up hope for this manuscript, but I’m glad I never gave up on it. It changed a lot from what it once was (original was so dark and depressing…and disturbing lol), but I love what it is now. Just to give an idea, this book went through over 72 edit rounds (not kidding), three revisions, and one rewrite. I can’t even count how many times the query was redone, but you can imagine. A lot of people told me to move on, and write something else (which, I did since I’m on manuscript #25 now), but I just wouldn’t – couldn’t – give up on this one. It meant a lot to me, and after putting so much work into it, I wasn’t ready to shelve it just yet. And all that hard work made it what it is today, and I have no regrets.

On February 21^st, I found Evernight Publishing. I’d seen them before, and loved their covers, read their books – but I had waited since I already had eight queries out. I wanted feedback to see if my query was good enough now, or if it still needed work. Finally, that day, I decided to stop waiting, and queried them. And on April 7^th, they emailed me back and offered me a contract to sign my book with them. To say I was ecstatic would be an understatement!

After going back and forth with them, I realized how lucky I was to be publishing with them. From answering my questions, setting me up with a wonderful editor, an artist who did a fantastic book cover, and a marketing manager who has been giving me wonderful and helpful advice, and explaining everything step by step on how the press works – it’s just been all surreal, and I love every second of it!

I plan on writing a sequel to this book, and query Evernight again for it; crossing my fingers I get a second book deal with them because they really are a fantastic press to publish with, and I look forward to working with them for many years to come.

Moral of the story? Keep writing, yes – but don’t give up on that manuscript you really want published. It may have to change, go through more edits, and even be rewritten, but eventually, it will find a home!

When Celina Leviet escapes the brutal home invasion that kills her husband, she’s left with a bullet in her gut and vengeance in her heart. An alluring demon, Mekaisto, offers an irresistible deal—in exchange for her soul, he’ll let her live long enough to get her revenge, but she must hunt and kill the murderers herself.

After sealing the contract, Celina digs into her husband’s past for clues about his murder, and what she uncovers makes her question everything she thought she knew about him.

His company never existed.
His family history was a lie.

And he was involved with The Lumen, a shadowy religious order whose members know too much about demons. As the life she thought she knew crumbles around her, Mekaisto's charms become harder to resist. Forced to face a horrible truth, Celina struggles against her late husband’s betrayal and the dark seduction of the devil she knows.

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2u1KmIQ

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2toTGIS

Magali A. Fréchette writes paranormal, dark fantasy, and thrillers, but always with a side of romance as she enjoys all things dark and sweet. Full-time single mom, photo manipulation artist, and gamer, she loves spending most of her time writing. She also enjoys reading, watching TV shows, and pizza. While, in her heart, home will always be in Ottawa, Ontario, she currently lives in Winnipeg, Manitoba. She has completed a Bachelor of Social Sciences with a Major in Criminology. Bilingual – French being her first language – and has a passion for Japanese.

Twitter: @stormowl7

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorMAF/

Blog: https://stormowl7.wordpress.com/

Starting a Novel Using Short Stories from Katrina Carrasco

Starting to write a novel can seem daunting. How to get from 0 words to 100,000? Every time I begin a new book, it feels like I’m staring up the side of a mountain, wondering how I’m going to survive the long, long climb. I imagine that, in my metaphorical rucksack, all I have is my love for writing, a few ideas for the story, and an interesting character or two. Sometimes that doesn’t seem like much -- but it’s got to be enough to get me going.

As I’ve become more comfortable with my own novel-writing process, I’ve discovered a few ways to give myself a head-start. (Think: beginning a hike at a 2,000-meter base camp rather than at sea level.) One of my favorite ways to world-build a book is to write short stories. Whether a story spends time with a character or explores my setting, it brings me into the world of my novel and asks me to think about that world in a different way.

I stumbled upon this process through trial and error. About eight years ago, when I started the draft that would eventually become my first completed novel, I envisioned the book as a family saga. So I wrote 50k about one generation, then 50k about the next (somewhere around here a family curse got thrown in, naturally), and then 50k about the next … only to discover that the great-granddaughter (who appeared in generation No. 3) was actually the character I wanted to write the book about. So then I wrote the actual novel about her. In essence, I’d done 150k of prewriting. Ouch!, I thought at the time. What a waste! Of course, as most authors will tell you, no writing is a waste, especially with early books. Those were hours logged that served to hone my craft and help me find the real story I wanted to tell. Plus, I had a rich family history written out that I used to bring depth and complexity to my protagonist’s story.

That manuscript is shelved now, always special to me because it was my first completed book. It wasn’t until my third completed manuscript that I had a novel strong enough to capture interest from my agent and my editor. By then, I’d figured out that writing a whole other novel was not the most efficient word-building exercise, and I’d reined that in to the technique I’m sharing here: world-building through short stories.

What this looks like is completely flexible, depending upon your needs and your style. I find it most helpful to write a world-building short story (WBSS) either about a character or the setting. A WBSS can be a piece of flash-fiction or a fleshed-out, 5,000-word narrative. I like long-form pieces (yes, I’m a novelist at heart), so I’m usually comfortable with 5,000-word WBSSs. But it can also be a useful challenge to myself as a writer to build a story in 2,000 words or less. Go with what works best for you!

Stories About Characters

When writing a WBSS about a character, consider choosing one of your secondary (or even tertiary) characters. This will help you avoid the trap of flat, unremarkable supporting characters. Consider a book that has a crime boss as a secondary character, and this crime boss has henchmen (tertiary characters). You could have one of her men be a Large, Slow Henchman and not much else. But what if you wrote a story about him, and along the way discovered something about his family; what drove him to violent, underpaid work; what his favorite smell is, and his least-favorite part of his body? Now when he appears in scenes as you draft your novel, he will have tics and unique reactions to situations and a history with roots that extend far off the page.

Another benefit of choosing a secondary or tertiary character is that they will likely have a totally different personal and situational POV than your main character. Take L.S. Henchman again, and consider what parts of your book world he would know and see versus those your main character (say, a middle-class professor) knows and sees. When you explore your book world through L.S. Henchman’s eyes, you’re making it richer by default by using such a different lens -- and you can draw upon that richness when drafting the novel itself.

Stories About Setting

When writing a WBSS about your setting, consider it an opportunity to do research. Look for anecdotes or information you might not otherwise have woven into your story. This is a great way to come across other (real) stories that might spark episodes or events in your book. For historical novels, looking into a town’s past might bring you to old newspaper articles about disappearances, celebrations, or conflicts that you can incorporate into your own story. For contemporary novels, reading up on the politics or residents of an area can give you a deeper understanding of your setting in the context of the larger world. (Note: Researching may not be applicable to certain genres, like fantasy or some SpecFic. In cases where there is no research possible, try using WBSSs to set and explore world rules or other things you must create, like topography, language, or social norms.)

Benefits of This Method

On top of the world-building benefits, there are other reasons to write WBSSs. Depending on how much you care to polish a certain piece -- and how well it stands on its own -- you may want to submit it to magazines or websites for publication. I strongly encourage you to submit short fiction to these outlets. Why? 1) It’s practice for pitching your work. 2) It helps you get accustomed to rejection (a fact of life in the writing world). 3) It helps you get accustomed to acceptance (celebrate your successes!). 4) Publishing short fiction will start building your reader base. 5) Publishing short fiction will build your creative resume/portfolio.

Another benefit of writing WBSSs is that they are relatively low-commitment. Say you have an idea for a book, but you’re not sure if it’s enough to charge ahead with and pour countless hours into. (Think back to the mountain I mentioned, and being intimidated by the sheer scale of starting a novel from a blank page.) If you write a WBSS, you’re only committing to a short story. Some of the pressure -- and some of the fear -- is taken away when you think in increments of 5,000 words, rather than 100,000. And if you complete the story and love it, you’ll have 5,000 words of material to draw from for your book draft.

I hope this post inspires you to try the WBSS method. Have you tried writing short stories as a world-building technique before? What other world-building methods work for you when you’re starting a new novel?

______________________________________________ 

Katrina Carrasco is a queer Latinx writer, born and raised in Southern California and now living in Seattle. In her novels and short stories she explores the ideas of passing, performance, and belonging: what is gained and what is lost by conforming to societal expectations of gender, race, class and sexuality. Her short fiction has appeared in Witness Magazine, Post Road Magazine, Quaint Magazine, and other journals. Her debut novel, CIPHER, will be released in Fall 2018 by MCD/Farrar, Straus and Giroux. CIPHER follows Alma Rosales, a queer woman and ex-Pinkerton detective, as she switches between female and male disguises to investigate an opium-smuggling ring.

Website: katrinacarrasco.com

Twitter: @katrinacarrasco

Blog: kmcarrasco.blogspot.com

Goodreads Page for CIPHER: goodreads.com/book/show/34041372-cipher

Getting the Call with Alex Reda

What's a Call ™ story without some hospital drama?

Hello!

It happened. I've graduated from reading the "Getting the Call" series to writing a guest post. And let me tell you, it wasn't the easiest journey. But I would've never gotten here without the constant support and advice I found in the writing community.

The manuscript that landed me my fabulous agent was actually written as a result of turning down an offer last year. That decision almost made me quit writing, but I knew that particular working relationship would derail my career, perhaps even halt it altogether. That period was tough. Long nights staring at empty pages and wondering if I'd just made the biggest mistake of my life.

Spoiler alert: I didn't.

After I shook the desperation off me, I decided I needed something fun to get back into my usual rhythm. I needed to write something I loved. And what do I love? Badass women reaching their goals. That's how my YA contemporary novel, LOVE, LIES, AND THE OTHER TEAM DIES got written in the dead of night. I gave up sleeping and lost myself in the world of competitions, video games, and teenage ambitions.

But the novel was far from perfect, so I entered Pitch Wars 2016. The universe smiled down on me and Marty Mayberry selected me as her mentee. We're now CPs and friends. #PitchWarsGoals

My inbox filled with "great novel, but not right for me", so I took another chance and entered #PitMad. In a past life, I must've bargained some cookies for good luck because an agent I planned on querying the very next day liked one of my tweets. And she was part of the first ever agency that requested additional material from me, so many years ago. Could this be it? The goal I'd been writing towards all these years, so poetically reached? I didn't want to get my hopes up (though I was unsuccessful; damn day-dreaming).

Then I got the e-mail of my dreams and I couldn't hit the reply button fast enough. Why, yes, I'd love to chat. Of course next week works for me. Yes, I'm over-the-moon excited. And, yes, I'm doing my happy dance as we speak (type?), but you don't really need to know that, so I'm just going to celebrate in private with my CPs.

Nothing could get me down—except getting super sick and landing in the ER 3 days later, only to find out I'll have to stay in the hospital for at least a week. As you can imagine, the timing wasn't ideal. And it became even less so when the nurses let me know I'd be going in for a procedure the morning when of my Call ™ day. Anesthesia included, of course.

Still, I didn't freak out. I woke up, groggy and unfocused, a few hours before my phone call, I went over my list of questions, I gushed over the agent's #MSWL. You know, completely normal things. My laptop screen got away from me a few times, but I persevered. Then a nurse came in and told me I'd been scheduled for another round of tests, smack dab in the time frame of my Call ™.

Cue freak out.

My heart dropped. My face lost color so fast the nurse thought I was about to faint. I probably wasn't as coherent as I remember, since it's all a bit fuzzy, but I did everything in my power to convince the staff to bump the tests for the next day. I almost got down on my knees. Luckily, the situation was resolved before I did that. I was so loopy, I probably wouldn't have managed to get up afterwards.

With all that mess behind me, I waited with the phone in my hand, the pink cannula digging into the crook of my elbow, stinging my arm into numbness. When the phone rang, I was ready for it. I realized I liked the agent in the first ten seconds of our conversation. She was so professional and poised and funny and charming and awesome. The Internet connection might've been scratchy, but we understood each other just fine. She loved my novel, I loved her enthusiasm. Before I knew it, we were joking around and talking about my career. A writing career. Mine! She answered all of my questions before I even had a chance to ask them, and put me at such ease, I forgot all about the awful week I'd had and the soul-crippling fear that I'd somehow mess up the phone call. I almost heard angels singing when she offered rep.

Half an hour later, we hung up with so many wonderful promises, I wanted to hug someone. I called my Mom (who had absolutely no idea I write) and told her I'm going to have an awesome literary agent.

I wanted to say yes right then and there. I've always been a fan of gut-feelings and mine were telling me this agent was the right fit for me.

Which she absolutely is! I'm beyond excited to be working with Natascha Morris, from Bookends LLC. Right from the get-go, she's been a dream and everything I could've hoped for in an agent. She's counseled me on branding and name changes (I used to write as Amelia Creed, hello, blast from the past), on future projects, and everything in between. I'm one lucky girl.

Lucky to have such a stellar agent in my corner. Lucky to have the support of my friends and CPs. Lucky to be part of such an amazing community. And lucky to have never given up on my dream.

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Alex Reda lives near the literary birthplace of modern vampires (and no, she doesn’t carry a head of garlic around every day—only on weekends). Though she enjoys reading about the pointy-toothed bastards in other authors’ novels, she likes her own characters on the human side, always in creepy settings, always with a hint of romance. One of her goals is to create someone’s future OTP. When she’s not glued to her keyboard, she dashes between lecture halls, daydreaming about her plot bunnies and gorging on dark chocolate.

You can find her online: https://alexredalit.wordpress.com/about/

Twitter: @Alex_Reda

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AlexRedaLit/

Guest Post from Sandi Ward on Creating an Unconventional Narrator

Using an Unconventional Narrator to Tell A One-Of-A-Kind Story

Choosing a point of view (POV) for your novel may come naturally to you, rather than being a conscious choice. I imagine most authors simply start thinking of a story either from inside a character’s head (“I started to shake as the vampire opened his eyes…”), or they see it from outside (“The vampire’s eyes clicked open, and Jeremy shuddered”). A story organically grows from this key decision, which must be one of the very first choices a writer makes as a story idea unfolds.

Writing in first person

I always write from a first person point of view, because I like to get very close with my protagonist. I need to know everything about the character—her thoughts, feelings, background, friends and family—in order to have her tell a compelling story. First person allows me to totally inhabit a character. It’s an intimate form of story-telling, one where you are getting a specific viewpoint.

Voice

Once you’ve decided on first person, it’s important to think about voice. Rather than being omniscient, a first-person narrative demands an opinionated point of view and a unique way of thinking. Your character’s background and experiences means that she will make judgments and choices that reflect her own POV, not that of the author. Her family, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, education and other factors influence who she is.

Unexpected voices: 3 examples

Sometimes, an author takes a leap and sees the world from inside the head of a character you might not expect to tell such a tale, with fantastic results. For example, the classic The Boy in the Striped Pajamas tells a story of the Holocaust—from the point of view of a young boy in a Nazi family. The reader only slowly learns the truth of what’s happening in the story, and the reader has a better understanding of the big picture than the young boy ever does. It’s a truly unique read.

Another example is The Curious Incident of Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon. This story is told from the POV of an autistic teenager who wants to solve a mystery: who murdered his neighbor’s dog? As a reader, we marvel at the main character’s observations and quirks (including numbering the chapters with only prime numbers), chuckle empathetically at his misunderstandings (although we are able to see what he missed), and ultimately feel his pain at the changes going on in his life.

As a last example, in my debut novel, The Astonishing Thing, I present a story about a troubled family from the point of view of the family cat. Our pets are witnesses to our private moments; they hear our confessions and are the keepers of our secrets. My protagonist, Boo, doesn’t understand everything going on in her family. Like a smart little girl, she isn’t completely familiar with concepts like mental illness and divorce. But she wants her family to be happy and safe, and provides a unique way of looking at the world.

The unreliable narrator

Sometimes an author goes a step further and tells a story using an unreliable narrator; examples include the hit novels The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins and Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. Especially in a murder mystery, you can create fantastic twists and turns if narrators lie, omit information, or can’t remember events due to alcoholic blackouts. It can make for a thrilling reader experience.

Advantages and disadvantages

One disadvantage of using first person is that you can never leave that character’s head. The main character can only guess at what others are thinking—but sometimes that can lead to interesting misunderstandings or assumptions, creating further drama. So you may be able to turn that disadvantage into an effective narrative device.

Using an unconventional narrator can be a great way to experiment, get creative, and pull more drama out of a traditional story. Have fun with it and happy writing!

BIO

Sandi Ward grew up in Manchester-By-The-Sea, Massachusetts. She went to Tufts University, and then received her MA in Creative Writing at New York University.  She now lives on the Jersey Shore with her husband, teenagers, dog and a large black cat named Winnie. Sandi is a medical writer at an advertising agency. The Astonishing Thing is her debut novel.

 

         

www.sandiwardbooks.com

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Pre-order THE ASTONISHING THING, the story of a troubled family seen through the eyes of their cat, on Amazon: http://amzn.to/2mK6KoS

Getting the Call with Fiona McLaren

Hi!

It’s so nice to be invited to the blog to do a guest post. I’ve long been an admirer, and love how this blog weaves the writing community together. Today, I’d love to talk you through my agent call (because as everyone knows it equals freaking out, excitement, and hope!).

Right, let’s get to it:

First up – this is actually my third (and final!) agent! I’d also received more than 1 offer, but when I got The Call from my new agent, the stars just clicked into the right alignment. Here’s how it happened…

I’ll be honest: The email letting me know I had the call coming scared the living bejessus out of me. Especially because the word “unfortunately” was in it. *cue heart attack* Look: “Unfortunately, the week got away from me….” At that point, I had to stop and breathe, because this was one of my top pick agents. I was really anxious it would be a no. In fact, I did that thing where you just kind of stare at the screen, heart making a hurty-kind of thump, thinking “oh no”.

Then I opened the email again and read on. She said she thought I was talented and she’d love to talk the next day. As any writer worth their salt does, I instantly jumped to “It’s going to be an R&R, it won’t be an offer, it’ll be an R&R”. Even though I had the original offer on the table already, I still did that. Because that’s just what we do. Doubt is a squirmy little thing.

We scheduled a time, and I decided I was going to prepare, relax, be collected. I sat on the sofa in my bedroom, my owl cushion and lucky dog cushion propped up behind me, feet up. Calm. I was home alone, and I promise I didn’t count the time down by the minute (who am I lying to? Lol). I’d been through this before. It would be fine…

The phone rang. *cue me instantly on my feet pacing up and down the entire house* Thank god my fiancé wasn’t home, as that drives him nuts. I don’t think I could have walked quicker if I tried! If I’d had a carpet, a path would be etched in it by the end of the call!

There were things about this agent (revealed at the end for those who don’t know who it is!) that struck me immediately: it wasn’t just flattery I was hearing. It was business and genuine enthusiasm for what I could achieve, and complete honesty. We discussed not only the book, potential edits, how rights work, etc. We talked about the market and how to pitch my book properly due to the nature of the particular genre (it wasn’t a case of we can sell this for millions, it was, “I really love this, and have a plan on how we can find the best way to sell it”). Sparkles, stars, and shiny things don’t impress me a whole deal (though they are wonderful things to hear). Maybe because this is my third agent (and definitely last!), I find it’s much more important to see through the “I love its”. This is exactly what I got (though I did get some great sparkles in there, too!).

We talked for a long time. I talk a lot. Annoyingly so at times. The agent managed to deal with this admirably (and if someone can put up with me waffling away, then this is always a great sign). The agent didn’t pressure me, answered everything honestly, gave me questions to answer, and we even had a bit of a laugh over some things. It was the perfect mix.

To be honest, I knew before I got off the call that I adored her as an agent. However, I also knew enough that keeping a cool head, examining all of your options, and taking the time to make a clear-headed decision is super important. So that’s what I did (with great difficulty), as this isn’t just a mutual fan club situation I wanted to get into. It’s a long-term business partnership. I spoke to clients, ex-clients, fellow writers, looked up industry sales, writer reviews, etc. I did my homework. A lot. Of course, I’d researched before I submitted, but now I went even deeper. Like tunneling for gold deeper.

The funny thing? The second I’d come off the phone with this agent, my fiancé turned around and said “that’s different from how you were on the last call”. Later, after I made my decision, he then expounded upon that to say, “yeah, she was always the one”.

He was right. My agent is the amazing Maura Kye-Casella of Don Congdon Associates. I have never been prouder. Oh, and as an aside, I think I burned my fiancé’s ear off telling him how excited I was (for hours. I told you I was a talker!). Wish me luck! And I wish you luck for when your agent call comes!!! Let me know how it goes!

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Fiona McLaren is a displaced Scot living on the sunny island of Cyprus. She's an author, scriptwriter, and editor. She works alongside Cornerstones Literary Consultancy U.S., and also takes on freelance editorial work. The most important things in her life are her boys, her family, and her partner...and lots and lots of books! She's represented by the wonderful literary agent Maura Kye-Casella at Don Congdon Associates.

Blog: www.fionamclarenwrites.com

Twitter:@BookOmnivore